Level Three Wealth, Finances and Family

Well I a little behind in my blogging this week.  When I first started to blog I was nervous that I would not be disciplined with this but to the contrary I look forward to sitting down and getting going.

I am late because I went down to Florida to see my parents who I do not get to see enough.  My Dad was diagnosed three weeks ago with lung cancer.  He stopped smoking over 25 years ago so they are not sure if there is any correlation from his days of smoking to the “C”.  Regardless he starts his Kemo today…the day I was leaving him.  I wanted to be there for his first treatment but it was pushed back 2 days which means I’m traveling to my next destination.  My Dad was telling me stories that he had never told me before.  My Dad is a story teller and has been for his entire life.  He went deep and brought out new stories that he thought I now could be told, by the way I am 47 so I think I have heard anything in bigger and larger way then he could throw at me.  The stories were wonderful and I could sense his looking at life is coming to a close.  The doctors are very optimistic that they have caught the cancer early and that with treatment he may have many more years left.

In one of our many conversations he was telling me how hard they have been hit by the stock market tumble.  As a former teacher and administrator he has had his funds in mutual fund created for teachers and others many years ago.  What became very clear to me are two things

1. At 76 and with cancer there is not much chance he will be going back to work.  My parents are faced with the “New” reality of the economic condition this economy has placed them. 
2. Because of my age I can re-build and get my financial position back into line again.

All my parents can do is to cut back and make huge cuts in their living.  My family will also make huge cuts and change our life style ours change will only be a bump in the road my parents is a pot hole in the road that they are spinning to get out of.

If you have parents or anyone over 65 I suggest that you give them a ear and allow them to talk with you about how things have hit them.  My dad has always been a huge provider for the family and I can say that the conversation we had was hard for him.  I was honored that he would share with me and it brought us ever closer as piers and as a father and son…………..